Sometimes, Love is Not That Easy: A Series of One-shots
by pieceofcupcakes
Summary: Written in the same verse with Stubborn Denial. Set few years after Nate was born.
1. Turbulence

**A/N: Still based on a story by bl4ckm4lice with changes here and there.**

* * *

It was different this time. Nate frowned, awoken in the middle of the night because of the loud shouts from downstairs. His parents fought a lot, but usually his mom was sulking and his dad was trying to make her smile again. But now, his mom was yelling, and that was strange because usually his mom only spoke firmly when she was mad. But even stranger was the fact that he could hear his dad's loud voice too. His dad certainly never yelled at anyone.

Nate got off his bed and exited his room. Slowly, careful not to make any sound, he snuck towards the living room, where the shouting seemed to come from.

"...I can't believe you!" Mommy yelled, tears streaming down her face.

"How many times do I have to explain until you can understand, Quinn!? I didn't know anything about it!" Daddy looked frustrated.

"How could you not know! How could _she_ not know!?"

"I swear—."

"Seven years! Seven years we've been married and—."

"And I've made it clear with her! That was it! There would be no second... meeting."

"You mean _date_," Mommy bit out.

"What else do you want from me!?" Daddy ran a hand through his hair. "I'm being perfectly honest with you here. I'm not even trying to hide anything. I didn't want you to find out from anyone else but me, so you can hear my explanation thoroughly."

"You know what I _don't_ want? I don't wanna deal with you now," his mom sobbed. "I don't wanna deal with you and your family. So full of bullshit."

Nate clasped his hand on his mouth to prevent a gasp from escaping. His mom was cursing at his dad with a word he had never heard, but he was sure it could only mean something bad as his dad looked hurt. Nate thought he was going to yell back, but then Mommy dashed towards the bedroom. Nate didn't have a chance to hide, and he stood there, frozen, and scared he was going to get yelled at as well. But his Mommy didn't say anything; the only sign of her spotting Nate was the small surprised flinch before she continued to the bedroom she shared with Daddy. Mommy slammed the door closed and Nate could hear the lock clicked into place.

Nate hesitated for a while, but then he decided to go to his dad, who was now slumped on the couch, his head supported by both of his palms. "...Daddy...?" his voice was small and trembling.

His dad looked up, his face tired and lost. Nate had never seen him like this. "Hi, Nate… Why are you awake?"

Nate ran to his dad and hugged him tight, burying his face onto his Daddy's chest. "Daddy, why did you fight with Mommy?"

"It's nothing, son. Mommy is just upset because I made a mistake which is technically not my fault…"

The little boy stared at him, confused. His dad put up a weak smile and patted his head. "It's okay, she will forgive me soon."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Nate bit his lip and before he knew it, they both fell asleep on the couch. The next morning, Mommy didn't show up for breakfast and Nate somehow felt like wanting to cry, especially when he saw the sad glance his dad threw at the direction of the bedroom door.

* * *

Nate spent the day thinking about his parents, face long and brooding. After school, he immediately went back to his house and wait for his mom to come out. He bought some snacks and sat in front of his parents' bedroom.

Sometime before the sun set, the bedroom door finally opened and revealed the figure he had been waiting for. "Mo—," he was about to call out, but the look on his mom's face stopped him. It wasn't the usual 'do-not-bug-me' look, instead, Mommy looked so upset. Her eyes were red and swollen, so she had obviously been crying.

"What are you doing here, Nate?" her mom asked softly, eyes taking in the empty candy wrappers and opened jar of cookies.

"I..." Nate stuttered. "I was waiting for you to come out."

Mommy sat down, her hand gently stroked Nate's hair before she pulled the little blonde boy into her arms. Nate snuggled further into her mom, then braved himself to ask, "Mommy… are you still mad with Daddy?"

"…It's complicated."

"Why?"

Mommy didn't answer, instead she merely hugged Nate even tighter. They ate together with the leftover food from this morning's breakfast and Nate followed his mom into his parents' bedroom. They cuddled on the bed, and he didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he jolted awake, he was in his own bedroom. Daddy was sleeping next to him, holding his hand. He knew his parents were still fighting then.

* * *

"Your parents are getting a dee-force."

Nate's eyes widened. "What's a dee-force?"

His classmate's face turned sad. "It's what my parents did when they don't love each other anymore."

"Hey! Mommy and Daddy love each other!"

"Maybe they used to, but you said your mom and dad have been yelling at each other, right? Then your dad doesn't sleep with your mom anymore."

"Daddy said Mommy will forgive him soon!"

"My dad said that too!" his classmate began to raise his voice as well. "But then my mom left us and she never came back!"

Nate screamed and pounced on his friend. The fight didn't have a chance to begin, because the teacher walked in just in time. She separated the boys and asked them questions. None of them opened their mouths, so she finally called their parents.

* * *

It was Sam who picked Nate up, and he also couldn't coax Nate into talking. They drove the way back home in silence, but as soon as they arrived, Nate jumped from the car and ran inside. Sam followed his son and couldn't help but feel his heart break a little more at the scene before him.

Nate was wailing and pounding on the bedroom Sam shared with Quinn. "Mommy! Mommy, please come out, Mommy! Don't leave me and Daddy! Please! Mommy!" He repeated those words and it took little time for Quinn to give in to his desperate pleading.

When she came out, Sam felt a hitch in his breath. It had only been what, two days, and Sam had missed her so much. His Quinn looked as beautiful as always, but with a miserable, exhausted expression. Sam knew that it was him who caused that look, albeit indirectly. They shared a glance, but then Quinn decided to tend to their wailing son.

"Nate…" she squatted down and opened her arms, and Nate jumped to her, pressing his face onto his mom's chest.

"Mommy, please, please don't leave," Nate sobbed uncontrollably. "I promise I will be a good boy. I'm sure Daddy doesn't want you to leave too. Whatever he did, please forgive him. I'm sure he didn't mean it. Please, just please don't get a dee-force."

"Dee…?" Quinn's eyes widened. "Where did you hear that?"

"My friend said his mom and dad fought too like you. Then they got a dee-force and his mom left. Mommy, please…"

"We're not getting a divorce." It was Sam who answered. "Don't worry, Nate, Mommy is not going anywhere."

Nate looked at his mom and dad back and forth. "But…"

"I will never let your mom go, okay?" Sam said firmly but sincerely, his eyes searching Quinn's. "Now, can you let Mommy and me have a talk?"

Nate nodded, but he allowed himself to hug his mom once more and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you, Mommy," he said, then he climbed off his mom's lap. Sam took him and brought him to his own bedroom.

"Take a nap," Sam said as he lowered his son onto the bed. "When you wake up, everything will be alright."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Nate nodded and closed his eyes. Tired from the fighting and the crying, he drifted off soon enough.

* * *

"Look, Quinn—."

"I'm sorry," Quinn cut him off, surprising Sam. "I'm sorry, I overreacted. I was being unfair to you."

"Eh…"

"I shouldn't have gotten mad at you. It wasn't your fault." Quinn continued as she looked down. "I just… didn't know how to talk to you after I acted like that."

"You were upset," Sam said hurriedly. "If I were in your place, I would've been angry too."

"It's… I…" the blonde girl began to tear up. "I'm scared."

Sam didn't wait any longer and pulled Quinn into his embrace. He inhaled the sweet scent of his wife that he had been missing so much. He allowed himself to enjoy the warmth radiating from Quinn's body. They still fit so right together, even after all this time. "I don't know why you should feel scared."

"But your dad…"

"My dad is just acting like a control-freak he is. He could never accept the fact that I left home to pursue my own career and create my own happiness."

"Your dad wants you to be happy."

"And I can't be happy with anyone but you, you know that," Sam held her a little tighter and placed a kiss at the crown of her head. "My happiness is here, with you and Nate. Not with some random woman my dad suddenly set up with me."

Sam could feel the front of his shirt getting wet. Quinn was crying silently. "Sam… I will never be good enough for your dad, will I?"

The blonde man couldn't hold it anymore. He kissed his wife desperately, trying to convey how much he loved her, how nothing else mattered. Quinn was unresponsive for the first few moments, but then she answered the kiss with the same amount of desperation.

They fell onto the bed quickly. Two days of fighting was certainly too long. Their bodies were weary, but their hearts needed it. "I love you," Sam whispered repeatedly, and Quinn answered with kiss after kiss. Their love making was slow and gentle, but still they were panting and out of breath by the end of it.

"Maybe," Sam said when Quinn was safely tucked inside his arms, "we should all go see my dad."

Quinn blinked and looked up to him questioningly, "We…?"

"Me, you and Nate."

The blonde girl shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure that it's a good idea."

"Nate is a big boy now," Sam smiled. "That way, you don't have to be scared. Me and Nate will protect you from big bad Grandpa."

Quinn chuckled (oh, how Sam had longed to hear that sound) and hit him playfully. "How do you know whether your dad want to meet us or not?"

"Oh he will. He couldn't wait to prove that I had been taking the wrong path, remember?" Sam kissed his wife again. "We will prove him wrong."

* * *

Nate opened his eyes from a wonderful dream where Mommy had forgiven Daddy and they were having a picnic by the beach. He pouted when he realized that it was just a dream. But then he remembered his dad's promise, _"When you wake up, everything will be alright." _

He rushed outside his room and found his parents' bedroom door open. No sign of them. He ran downstairs and slowly felt a grin growing on his face. "Mommy! Daddy!"

His parents were seated on the couch, watching television. Daddy's arm was wrapped around Mommy's shoulder and they turned their heads around at hearing Nate's voice. They were smiling.

"Hey, son, we were waiting for you so we can have a dinner together—ufh!" Daddy huffed when Nate jumped onto his lap.

"You kept your promise," Nate almost squealed (but he didn't squeal because he was a big boy). "Everything is alright now."

"Of course," Daddy smiled as he kissed Nate's forehead. Then he kissed Mommy's cheek as well. "Everything is alright."

"You're not mad anymore at Daddy?" Nate asked his mom. Mommy smiled sweetly and shook her head. "Sorry... I've made you worried."

"It's okay!" Nate squeezed himself between his parents. He was so happy to see his parents smiling again. He never wanted to see them fight like that. Ever.

"What do you want to eat?" Daddy asked.

"I want Mommy's favorite," Nate chirped. "Bacon!"

"You're spoiling your mom," Daddy laughed. "I'm sad, you don't love me as much."

"I love you too, Daddy! Because you love anything Mommy love, I choose Mommy's favorite food."

Daddy laughed again, sometimes amazed by how smart their son was. He kissed Mommy quickly, and Mommy slapped his arm although with a very apparent blush on her cheek.

Oh yes, Nate thought happily, everything is alright now.

"Mommy, Daddy... can we have a picnic by the beach?"

* * *

**This will be a series of one-shots. I already have 4 more one-shots ready, I'll update it when I have time. And no, I haven't forgotten about Date in Paradise. It won't be long enough until you see the 6th chapter though.**

**In the mean time, do read this stories. Reviews are always welcome. I wanna know what do you think of it. Thank you :)**


	2. Superman and Hummer

"How did that happen?" Sam raised his voice and Nate in turn raised his eyes from his breakfast. On the other side of the table, Quinn glared at the head of the house and said, "No work on the dining table."

Sam mouthed an apology and stood up to walk away. His voice was now faint but still clearly sounded upset. Nate's eyes followed his dad as he got a bad feeling about it. "Nate, finish your food." His mom's voice took his attention back to the bowl in his hand, but he still felt the day was going to take a turn for the worse.

His dad was back a few minutes later with a sour face. He caught sight of Nate's curious (and hopeful) eyes and sighed. "Nate," Sam reached out to pat his son's head. "I'm sorry, can we go to Six Flags next week instead?"

Nate's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. "No!"

"Listen, something came up at work and—."

"No! No! No, Daddy!" Nate shrugged his dad's hand off his head. "We can't go next week! Superman's not gonna be there next week!"

Sam rubbed his forehead and waved his hand. "I'm sure that he's still—."

"No!"

"Nate, you know I want to take you, but I really can't leave this—."

"You promised me last week and the week before and this week is really the last day! If we don't go there today we're never gonna see him!"

Sighing, Sam reached out to his son again, but Nate scooted away too quickly and ended up falling on his butt onto the floor. The boy screamed, throwing a tantrum like never before. "I wanna go I wanna go I wanna go!" He stomped his heels and slammed his fists on the floor. He was really looking forward to this day. Apart from meeting the Superman at Six Flags, his dad had promised to take him on the new Hummer car Nate had been amazed by since the first day it arrived. Busy as his Daddy was, Nate had nodded and hold onto the promise of 'next week' for the last two weeks. But now he couldn't hold it anymore. "You promised me, Daddy! YOU PROMISED ME!"

"NATE! STOP IT!" Nate went silent, startled. His eyes were already teary from being upset and the harsh yelling directed at him made him began sobbing despite his pride as a big boy. His dad had never scolded him like this, his dad always said yes to him.

On the other hand, Sam was still infuriated by Nate's spoiled act. He continued to glare down at his son and shouted again, "I said I can't take you! Don't be selfish and quit whining about your stupid Superman!"

Silence hung in the air of the family's dining room. Nate bit his lips so he wouldn't wail and scurried to stand up. As if snapped out of his anger, Sam's eyes softened and he called out in a much gentler voice, "Nate…"

"I HATE YOU, DADDY!" Nate yelled and ran off upstairs. A moment later there was a sound of a door being slammed closed.

Sam swallowed, guilt slowly welling inside him. He slumped down on the dining chair and winced as the silent Quinn gathered all the dirty dishes a bit too roughly, causing clattering noises that seemed to tell him off.

"That Superman you called stupid is your seven years old son's idol," Quinn began, "and you were the one who introduced the 'man of steel' to him."

"I know, I know," Sam rubbed the back of his neck, feeling ashamed. He had acted far from an example of a good dad just now.

"No, Sam, you don't know," Quinn continued as she washed the dishes in the sink. "You had been breaking that promise to him for two weeks. You should know better than breaking your son's heart like that."

Sam stood up and approached his wife, touching her arms. "Let me…" He reached for a plate but Quinn stopped him.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Quinn said, not looking at Sam. "And you need to go to the office, remember?"

"Quinn…"

The blonde girl sighed and glanced at him, "I'll take Nate to Six Flags."

"Eh, but you have an important meeting this afternoon—."

"I'll cancel it," Quinn turned the faucet off and dried her hands before looking at Sam, patted his cheeks, and pecked his lips. "Now go to work and think about how to apologize to Nate later."

She left Sam there and walked up to their son's room. They both knew Nate wouldn't talk to Sam right now. Quinn hoped at least Nate wouldn't ignore her so she can make his mood better until Sam can say sorry properly. Luckily they hadn't installed a lock on the boy's room door. Quinn knocked twice and slowly opened the door while calling out as softly as she could, "Nate…"

The young boy had buried himself under the cover. Quinn laid down next to him and stroked the slightly shaking bundle for a while before she spoke, "If you want, I can take you to meet Superman."

There was no response but small, muffled sobs.

"I'm sorry, I can't take you on that Hummer, but we can take on my Bettle and I will buy you ice cream. How does that sound?"

Quinn waited for some more time, but there was still no response. At least the sobs had died down. Finally, she decided to let the boy come to her when he wanted to. If he wanted to. So Quinn stood up and left the room after telling her son to let her know when he's ready to go.

Sam was putting on his shoes and looked up expectantly when Quinn came back downstairs. "He still refuses to talk," Quinn told him.

Her husband bit his lip and looked as if he wanted to apologize to Quinn, but then he remembered Quinn's words about to whom he should've said sorry. He decided to save the words for later and waved instead. "I'll see you later," he said as he pecked his wife's lips.

Quinn watched as her husband drove off and went to her and Sam's bedroom. She didn't know whether Nate would still want to go out, but she made a call to cancel her meeting anyway. Which was a good decision, because not a minute later, Nate showed up on her door, rubbing the tears from his eyes and wiping the snot off his face.

"Hey, Nate," Quinn smiled and patted the space next to her on the bed. Nate ran to her and climbed onto the bed to snuggle against her.

"Want to go meet Superman?"

"Don't you have something to do, Mommy? I thought you couldn't join me and… Daddy."

"Not anymore," Quinn used the sleeve of her cardigan to clean her son's face. "I decided that I really want to meet Superman after all. I wanna know what kind of superhero that my son loves so much."

Nate looked up and Quinn noticed with relief that a lively glint had returned to the boy's eyes. "You're gonna love him!"

Her son's mood gradually got better and better. He held onto his mom's hand all the way and pulled her impatiently to join the long queue to shake hands and take a photo with Superman. Nate proudly wore his Superman cape and couldn't keep the grin off his face after Superman picked him up and played pretend airplane with him. They watched the live action show about Superman fighting off bad guys threatening Ohio and Nate continued talking about it even while he was eating the ice cream Quinn bought him.

"Hey, hey, come on, finish your ice cream properly," Quinn said as she wiped the ice cream on Nate's cheeks with a tissue. Nate obliged easily and ate the rest in silence.

"Mommy?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for taking me here."

"No problem. Now I know why you like Superman."

Nate giggled and looked at his mom. "Umm… Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I don't hate Daddy."

"I know," Quinn caressed Nate's fringe. "Your Daddy also knows that."

"If only he can join us."

"Sorry… you have to deal with only me now."

"No! I didn't mean that!" Nate threw himself at his mom and hugged her tightly, causing Quinn to chuckle and returned the hug. "I'm just joking, Nate…"

The pair came back home hand in hand, just like how they went out. As if on cue, Sam's Hummer arrived when they were about to go inside. Quinn glanced at Nate who suddenly seemed interested in his own feet a bit too much.

The man turned the car engine off and came out to walk towards the pair. He squatted down two steps away from them and smiled, "Hi, Nate."

Quinn gently nudged the boy to stand in front of his dad before stepping back. Nate slowly met his dad's eyes. "Hi, Daddy."

"Did you have a good time with Mommy?"

"Yeah," Nate nodded, then he hurriedly added. "I wish you could join us."

Sam widened his eyes at the easy acceptance and forgiveness. Relief washed over him and a real smile bloomed on his face. His son apparently had a big heart and Sam just couldn't help but pulled him into a crushing hug. Gone was his plan to tread it slowly. After all, Nate had already forgiven him.

"I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was the one at fault."

"It's okay," Nate giggled, all traces of awkwardness gone. "I'm sorry I said I hate you. I don't hate you, Daddy."

"Thank you," Sam pulled back and ruffled his son's hair. "Next week, I promise I will take you on the Hummer."

"Promise?"

"Yeah, promise. This time I won't break it."

"Can Mommy join us?"

Sam threw an amused smile towards his wife. "Of course, if she wants."

Nate turned his head to Quinn and pleaded, "Pleaaaaase, Mommy?"

"Fine," Quinn rolled her eyes, but the smile betrayed her nonchalant act.

Sam chuckled as his son cheered happily. "You know what, Nate? I have a gift for you."

Nate blinked. "A gift?"

"Your Mommy's probably gonna scold me for this… but I swear I didn't mean to bribe you or anything," Sam smiled innocently at Quinn, who just rolled her eyes again. "Open the trunk of the car and see for yourself."

Nate ran excitedly and screamed with joy when he saw the gift. Quinn stepped closer to Sam and asked curiously, "What did you get him?"

"MOMMY! DADDY GOT ME A CAR!"

It wasn't a real car, of course. But instead of scolding Sam because he definitely intended to bribe his way to Nate's forgiveness, Quinn laughed, utterly amused when he saw Nate uselessly helped Sam to lower the ride-on toy car in the form of a mini Hummer. The battery was fully charged and Nate screamed again with overflowing glee as he pressed on the pedal and the car moved. He proceeded to drive to the Puckerman's house next door and honked the horn. "Kateeeeeeeee!"

He honked once more before his best friend finally came out, although not without her annoyed-looking mom trailing behind. "Nate!" The little girl clapped her hands and giggled. "You have a car!"

"I have a car, Kate! It's a cool Hummer like my Daddy's! Starting from tomorrow I'll take you to school with this car!"

Quinn chuckled as Santana yelled that it wouldn't be possible. She sighed in content when Sam embraced her from behind, his strong arms wrapped safely around her waist.

"So? Am I forgiven?"

"I wasn't mad at you."

"Yes, you were," Sam placed a peck on Quinn's cheek. "Thank you for being a good mom to Nate while I was busy being an ass."

Quinn stroked Sam's hand on top of her belly. "Well, you should manage your time better then. Make more time for your family."

"Yes, I promise."

"Good," Quinn twisted her neck slightly to look at Sam. "Because our family is going to welcome a new member soon."

Sam hummed as he inhaled his wife's sweet scent. Then his eyes widened and he searched for Quinn's eyes. "Eh? What did you say?"

Quinn smiled and pressed the hand on her abdomen just a tad firmer.

It took ten seconds until Sam's dumbfounded expression began to turn into one of pure joy. "NATE! YOU'RE GONNA BE A BIG BROTHER!"

* * *

**Hi! Thank you for the warm welcome for this story. I suggest you to read Stubborn Denial first though so everything will make more sense.**

**RJRRAA**: Hey, there! Thank you for always reading each of my stories. Really appreciate it :) Well, yeah. I'm not a fan of Sam and Quinn fight but you must deal with that in this one-shots though. There will be some bumps in their relationship and we gotta see how they handle it, how Nate handle it too :)

**Kera**: Hey, Kera! Thank you very much :) Well, you will be happy though. These one-shots will contain lots of Nate's P.O.V besides Sam and Quinn's P.O.V ;) Please anticipate the next stories.

**Guest**: Here's the new chapter for you ;)

**As for Date in Paradise, yes, I've been saying that it will be here soon but I have to ask you to wait for a little while. Promise will update it before this month ends.**

**Anyway, please give me some reviews cause I'll appreciate it very much. Tell me, whether you like it or hate it :)**

**Side-note**: Did any of you watch Once Upon a Time too? I just watched the season finale and I'm beyond speechless. The plot twist was crazy and wow, I don't even know what to say about it anymore...


	3. Me and My Family

Nate stared at the blank paper in his hand. How could this happen? He really couldn't think of anything to write. Which was stupid because he had A LOT to tell. The problem was, he didn't know HOW to tell them.

_"In the upcoming family day, you are going to read your writing about you and your family in front of the class. It's gonna be a surprise for your family, so don't tell them about it!"_ Was what his teacher said yesterday. He had been excited to go home and write, only to find himself with a pile of paper crumples from his earlier failures. The date for the family day was still undecided, but he really, really wanted to write about his Mommy, his Daddy and of course his upcoming younger sister. A while ago, his parents had taken him to the doctor who in turn told him that the shadow moving around on the screen was his baby sister. His dad was so happy that he was going to get a daughter and finished decorating the whole baby room in only one week.

Nate was excited too, he really did, and he really wanted to write the perfect story about his family.

But how?

* * *

"Nate! Breakfast is ready!" His dad called him from downstairs. The little boy sighed and left the paper on his desk (another failed attempt to write).

His dad was humming as he brought the breakfast onto the dining table, right when his mom decided to join them by her own accord. Which was a bit out of the ordinary because usually his dad (or Nate) would have to coax her into it. Nate watched as his Daddy beamed and gave Mommy his morning kiss, which was accepted and returned but not without extra mumbling and grumbling. Now that was the usual stuff.

Nate's eyes darted down to the bulge on his mom's stomach. Was it just him or the bulge really got bigger? "No coffee," Mommy grumbled at Daddy, who apologized and quickly poured the rest of his usual morning coffee to the sink. Apparently it was one of those days where his pregnant mom couldn't stand the smell of coffee.

Last week, Nate saw his dad getting kicked out of his parents' room after his mom complained that his dad stinks. The next day, he swore he saw his mom glued herself onto Daddy's side on the couch and said he smelt good. Nate thought his dad smelt the same: like coffee and something called _aftershave_ (Daddy said only grown men had that) and _Daddy_. A pregnant person, Nate noticed, was really, really, unpredictable.

Nate also remembered his mom complaining about how messy she always looked, but now she didn't seem to care about how _messy_ she was actually right now, eating carelessly and clothes askew, especially when she was sitting next to Daddy who was all suited up and ready to go to work.

When the breakfast was done and his dad went to wash the dishes, his mom went to the couch and proceeded to eat more snacks. The little boy giggled a bit, but then he stopped when he saw how pretty his mom looked despite the mess, as she stroked her belly with a soft and gentle smile on her face.

Nate ran to his mom and hugged her from behind before placing a wet kiss on her cheek, "You're so pretty, Mommy!"

"What the—," his mom looked half-stunned and half-annoyed, but the slight blush on her cheeks made Nate giggled again.

"You're the prettiest! I don't care that you're getting fat!" The honest kid said without any bad intention, but the sensitive pregnant woman's face was turning dark.

"NATHANIEL!"

He earned a punishment of a harsh pinch on the cheek and a loud yell of "I'm not fat!" (but his dad told him he was very lucky, because his dad had earned much worse punishment for much unreasonable mistakes like sitting on the wrong side of the couch).

* * *

"Mommy, when's the baby coming?"

"Is it really gonna be a girl?"

"Can we play video game together?"

"Mommy, can she hear me now?"

"What does she eat and drink in there, Mommy?"

"SHUT UP!" Quinn couldn't take it anymore. She glowered at her son, who clamped his hands over his mouth as if restraining another wave of questions ready to burst. "Why are you even at home!? It's Sunday, go play with your friend or something!"

"But Mommy, I wanna know more about my little sister before she's born!"

"Go ask your dad!"

"He's out because you told him to buy marshmallows, remember?"

"Of course I remember and why is your dad not here yet!?" Quinn also suddenly recalled how badly she wanted those marshmallows. She picked her cell phone up and glared at Nate, telling him off silently.

Nate, on the other hand, knew the limit to where he could push his Mommy. This was it. With slumped shoulders, he walked out of his parents' room and down into the living room. To his surprise, he found his dad in the kitchen.

"Da-!" He was about to call him, but his dad noticed him and quickly put a finger on his mouth, shushing him. Nate hurriedly went next to his dad, noting the plastic bag filled with marshmallows and the smell of chocolate. "You're back already?" Nate whispered.

"Yes," Sam responded in a low voice. "I'm making a cup of hot chocolate for your Mommy first to go with her marshmallows."

"But she didn't ask for hot chocolate earlier."

"Trust me, your Mommy would want it later when she eat the marshmallows. Might as well make it now before she yells at me later for not paying enough attention to her and we all know that is not true."

Once again, Nate was stunned by how well his dad knew his mom, even to simple things like this. His dad also knew exactly how the pregnant Mommy liked her pillows on the bed, how much sugar Mommy wanted in her tea, and many more. Hey, maybe his dad can answer his questions earlier too!

"Daddy, you think the baby can hear me if I talk to her?"

"Of course she can. She knows how excited are we so she's also excited to meet us all."

Nate giggled. "What does she eat and drink in there? Isn't she hungry? Can I give her candies?"

"Hmm… notice how much your Mommy has been eating? Part of it goes to your sister. So if you want to give her candies, give it to your mom."

"Really? A baby can eat that much?" The little boy blinked, remembering how huge Mommy's appetite was.

Sam chuckled, "Well, okay, most of it goes to your Mommy. She needs them to stay healthy, because carrying your sister is a really hard job, you know?"

"If you know that already, why didn't you go straight to me with my marshmallows instead of goofing around in the kitchen?"

Nate hid behind his dad, who put on the best smile and offered the cup of hot chocolate to the furious Quinn. "Because I knew you like your marshmallows with this," Sam said. Luckily, the hot chocolate bribe worked well, and Quinn's face already softened a bit.

"You still took too long."

"I was looking for your favorite brand of marshmallows. You only want this one, right?"

Again, Quinn's face softened a bit more. She took the cup and sipped it a little. By this time, she no longer looked mad.

"Wow, it really works on Mommy," Nate said unconsciously. Quinn narrowed her eyes at him and snagged the marshmallows from Sam's hand, "Next time, take Nate with you when you go out."

* * *

"No! You can't! Let me do it!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's faster if we do it together."

"You're pregnant with baby sister, Mommy! Daddy told me to go with you first so I can help you!"

"Fine, fine, do whatever you want. Geez, like dad like son..." Quinn grumbled and opened the trunk of the car for Nate. The kid grinned and felt like a big boy as he helped his mom moved the groceries from the trolley into the trunk. He did struggle a bit as some bags were heavier than the others, but he managed to get it done even though it took some time. Quinn rolled her eyes for the second time when Nate cheered, but she stroked her son's head anyway, a small gesture of affection and appreciation.

"Mommy, wait here, okay! Don't go anywhere, okay!" Nate told his mom, who just muttered about how she was already standing next to their car, of course she wouldn't go anywhere. The little boy pushed the trolley a bit too fast while looking to the side as he crossed the road... and successfully rammed the trolley into someone.

"OW! BRAT!"

Nate widened his eyes at the large man rubbing his hip, "Oh! Sorry!"

"Sorry!? You think sorry is enough!?" The man in front of him looked scary and in no way would let him go easily. He looked even more pissed off when he realized that his pants were torn a bit. With one hand, he pushed the trolley to the side and took a large step toward Nate. "Come here you little— OW!"

"Don't touch my son!" Quinn, holding her belly with one hand and just threw a bottle of cooking oil with the other hand, stood stall a few steps away from them.

"What the hell- are you this brat's mom? I'll teach you both some lessons!"

"No! Stay away from my Mommy!" Nate was about to run to his mom, but a pair of strong hands held him still and a hushed voice told him to stay on his place. He watched in awe as his dad easily pulled the huge man with one hand and threw him to the ground. Shocked for being thrown so easily, the man sat there for a while before getting up to his feet and shouted as he launched an attack at Sam. It was an easy win— Sam was a black belt in taekwondo after all, despite the fact that he rarely put it into practice. With two effortless moves, the man was on the ground once again before he ran off without looking back.

Sam hurriedly checked on his wife, who quickly waved him off before he overreacted about how Quinn was sweating. On the side, Nate was busy reenacting his dad's heroic moves when suddenly an idea popped up in his mind and he knew what he was going to write for the family day.

* * *

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Sam, for the umpteenth time I am fu—," Quinn stopped herself from spatting out a curse word, partly because she didn't want the baby in her belly to hear and partly because they were currently in Nate's class for the family day. "I'm fine. Stop asking."

"But the doctor said you're due in two weeks. You can barely walk. Why did I let you come!?" Sam asked with gradually increasing panic in his voice.

"Because Nate will throw a tantrum if I don't come."

"He would understand! I'm sure he's a big enough kid and I'm sure he knows that the safety of his mom and his baby sister is more important!"

"Ssh! It's starting! Shut up!" Quinn hissed and Sam pouted. Nonetheless, the soon-to-be dad of two wrapped his arm around the person that had granted him the happiness of being a parent.

After a short introduction and thanking the parents who were present, the teacher explained about the surprise story written by the kids. Just as the teacher finished talking, Nate raised his hand.

"Yes, Nate?"

"Can I read my story first?"

Everyone laughed, while Sam hugged Quinn tighter and Quinn shook her head. "Well, since you're so excited about it, please go ahead. Come to the front of the class and read it..."

* * *

"My Daddy," Nate began, his excitement to finally being able to read his writing could barely be contained, "is very handsome."

In the back of the class, Sam chuckled softly.

"He's as handsome as my favorite hero, Superman, and also as strong as him. He can fight like him to protect me and Mommy, but he is not Superman. He works as a director in his company, and that is a very important position because he's always very, very busy. But it's okay, I'm not lonely because I have my Mommy, the sleeping beauty."

"Nate—," Quinn clamped her hand over his mouth, flushing a bit. The other parents turned toward her and smiled in amusement, some even giggled. Nate waved at Quinn, seemingly oblivious to how funny his writing was. To him, it was merely the truth. He giggled and continued reading.

"Mommy never wakes up early. She would sleep and sleep until Daddy or I kiss her awake. Mommy works from home. She paints and draws pretty things and she's famous too because many people ask for her to draw.

Daddy is also a superchef because Mommy can't really cook. When Daddy is not home, Mommy will order food for us because she can't really cook. But it's okay, because Mommy would let me order the food I want. Lately, Mommy eats a lot, and Daddy said it's because she's eating for herself and for my baby sister in her belly.

I already have a name for my baby sister, but I will keep it a secret until she comes. I hope my Daddy and Mommy will like it. When she comes, I'm gonna be the best big brother ever and I'm gonna teach her many things. I already have a list but it will be too long if I write it down.

I love Mommy and I love Daddy and even though I haven't met her, I love my baby sister too. I hope we can live happily forever and ever." Nate grinned, earning a round of applause. His dad stood up and clapped his hands proudly while his mom covered her face, embarrassed (and also to hide the fond smile).

* * *

After the reading session, the whole school went out to the yard for the sports games. Nate and Sam joined the running competition as a team. Obviously they won, and they made a pretty embarrassing 'dedicated to Mommy' speech with an equally embarrassing pose which Quinn was _forced_ to record. But Sam knew something was off when Quinn's face went pale all of a sudden while holding her belly, just as the pair of dad and son came down from the podium.

He picked Nate up and ran to Quinn, who just said shakily, "I think the baby's coming."

It was chaotic for a moment, with Sam panicking and muttering 'but it's too early' and 'what to do' and 'I knew I shouldn't have let you come', while on the side Nate just watched his dad as he couldn't exactly understand what was happening. But finally the pair managed to work together— Nate gathering their stuffs and Sam carrying Quinn in his arms —to get them to the car.

It was a tense wait outside the operating room. Sam paced in circles and Nate trailed just a step behind him while asking him non-stop about when was the baby coming. After what seemed like forever, a nurse walked out... with a smile. She informed them that the baby's a bit weak since it was still two weeks from her due date, but she would be out of the nursery in a few hours. The mom was also fine and would be taken to her room soon.

Unable to contain relief and happiness surging through him, Sam fell to his knees and hugged Nate while choking on his own tears.

* * *

It had been years since she felt this way. Groggy and sleepy but excited and impatient.

"Daddy! Mommy's awake!" Nate called out when he saw Quinn fluttering her eyes open. Sam soon came into her line of sight with a huge smile and a gentle hand stroking her hair.

"Hey, beautiful."

"Shut up, Sam..." Quinn knew she must've looked messy and far from pretty, but she smiled nonetheless. "The baby...?"

"Here she is." Sam pointed with his eyes to the baby in his arms before he moved the baby into Quinn's eager arms as gentle as he could. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

There were no words from Quinn for a while. She just stared at the bundle of miracle, amazed and overwhelmed with joy. Carefully, her finger trailed along one cheek and she felt her eyes watered. "She looks like you."

"Really?" Sam settled himself comfortably next to Quinn. "I thought she looks like you."

"I think she looks ugly," Nate, who already glued himself to the other side of Quinn, suddenly added. His parents chuckled and Sam ruffled Nate's hair. "You looked like that once."

"Eh?" Nate scrunched his nose. "No way!"

"Yeah, all babies do."

The little kid leaned closer and stared at the baby. But still he thought that the baby looked weird, all wrinkled up and red. "I thought babies are cute."

"She is cute." Sam touched the tip of the baby's nose and the baby wriggled slowly. "See?"

Nate gaped, suddenly awed. "I guess..."

"Nate has a name for her already, don't you, Nate?"

"Olivia! Olivia Evans! Can we call her Livy? Please?" Nate grinned and followed his dad to touch the baby's nose softly. He giggled when the baby wriggled again.

"Well? What do you think?" Sam nuzzled against his wife's cheek.

Quinn smiled. "I think Nate's gonna be a great brother."

"I will!" The boy threw his hands up in the air and jumped off the bed. "I'm gonna get my video game!" And then he was gone in a flash.

"Does he really think he can play video game his sister now?" Sam shook his head at the antics of his eldest son. "So... Olivia Evans?"

"Sounds good to me." Quinn planted a kiss on Olivia's forehead. "Nice to finally meet you, Livy."

"Remember when Nate was born?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling nostalgic. "He also took us by surprise back then. Seems like our kids just don't want to stay true to the due date..." He trailed off and turned his gaze at Quinn, who realized his intense stare and asked, "What?"

"Thank you so much, Quinn," Sam said wholeheartedly. He kissed his wife, trying to convey how much he loved her. The response showed that the feeling was acknowledged and reciprocated. "I wonder if there will come a time when you stop making me a very happy man."

"I don't know," there were a tint of pink painting Quinn's cheeks, making her looked even more beautiful than before, "you always look unhappy whenever I don't want to have sex."

"Make love," Sam corrected hastily, "and there would be no Olivia if we didn't make love, so you better thank me."

"Yeah," Quinn's eyes were so soft and full of love that Sam was taken aback. "Thank you."

"Oliviaaaaa! Look at my video game!"

* * *

**Early warning. I'll be having a very hectic weeks until at least the end of this month or the 1st week of June because deadlines and finals are coming up but I'll try to update this when I have time. And maybe, if you're lucky, the 6th chapter of Date in Paradise will also be updated. Keep your eyes on ;)**

**Agronaut13**: Thank you :) The new baby is finally here and this chapter have no fights at all, right ;) Hope you'll like it :)

**RJRRAA**: Well, unfortunately no. But Puck and Santana's daughter will be in the story more, seeing her as Nate's best friend. But who knows? I might change my mind later ;)

**Guest**: You're very welcome. Thank you and here's the new chapter for you :)

**SportyGirl00**: I will :) Just keep your eyes on for another update ;)

**In the meantime, keep the reviews coming cause I'll appreciate it so much. Thank you :)**


	4. Uncle Finn: part 1

"Tell me again who are we picking up?" Sam asked after he parked the car and caught up with his family. He didn't have a chance to ask earlier as Livy kept on crying the whole time and Quinn was busy calming her down. Although Quinn said she could pick this person up by herself, there was no way Sam would let her and in the end the whole family went to the airport. Quinn also said that this person would stay with them for a few days and Sam absentmindedly said yes because he was focusing on the road. Anyway, Quinn wouldn't let just some random person to stay at their home, right?

"Ah, let me hold Livy," Sam said before Quinn could answer.

"There he is!" Quinn exclaimed and waved excitedly, hands free now that Livy was safely tucked in Sam's arms. "Finn!"

Sam followed Quinn's line of sight and true enough a man emerged from the crowd straight towards their direction. A man he recognized very, very well.

Finn. _Finn_. That Finn. Finn Hudson.

Quinn's ex-boyfriend. The one who actually attempted to steal Quinn from him many years ago before they got married, the one who insisted that they never broke up due to lack of love but rather due to unfortunate circumstances. The one who caused many fights between Sam and Quinn back then. That Finn who finally had to move back to Hawaii and gave Sam a peace of mind.

"You look gorgeous!" Finn exclaimed and spread his arms. Quinn laughed and hugged him, causing Sam to regret taking Livy from Quinn. "You look fine as well. Hawaii seems to do you good."

"Amazing view every day, yeah. But I prefer to see you any day." Finn winked and kissed Quinn's cheek while Sam felt blood rushed to his head. As if on cue, Finn finally turned his attention to the rest of the family. "Well, well, who do we have here? Cute boy and baby girl," Finn released Quinn and smiled at Sam. "And you."

"This is Nate," Quinn patted Nate's head, telling him to greet Finn. Then she gently took Livy from Sam's arms and showed her to Finn. "This is Livy."

"So cute... the little one looks a lot like you," Finn touched the tip of Livy's nose. Livy just squirmed in her sleep.

"Surely you still remember Sam, now my husband."

Sam stepped forward and stood as straight as possible. He put up his blank slash I-have-the-perfect-life-and-you-don't look and lazily raised his hand to shake with Finn's. Finn just smirked, "Of course. The possessive boy."

Oh, he was so looking for a fight.

After that, of course Sam had to drive with Nate sitting by his side while Quinn was chatting all the way with Finn in the back seats. Sam wished for Livy to wake up and interrupt them, but no, Livy for once was being quiet and only woke up when they arrived at home- which required all of Quinn's attention, so he told Sam to show Finn around the house... and into the guest bedroom.

"Why are you being so impolite to our guest?" Quinn hissed, still trying to coo Livy back into sleep in the baby's room. "You already said yes earlier!"

"Because I didn't know who the guest was! I don't see why should he stay with us! Why can't he just stay at a hotel or something? He's on a business trip, right?"

"Imagine this. Me, in an unfamiliar city. I only know Finn in that city. What would you do? You would let me stay with him, no?"

Sam gaped, as if offended, "I would get you a good hotel room and rent a car plus a driver for you! Besides, it's not like he's unfamiliar Lima, he lived here before!"

"Oh, you're impossible!" As if on cue, Livy blasted out crying and Quinn shot him one last glare before shutting him off completely. That was obviously the end of discussion.

Outside, Nate heard it all and he shuffled to his room when he heard his dad stomping towards the door.

* * *

"Why do you hate Uncle Finn?"

Sam's finger stopped moving on his son's textbook. He knew this question was bound to come. Nate was a smart boy and Sam was never one who could hide his feelings. But it wouldn't hurt to try avoiding the question. "We're not done with your homework, Nate."

"Answer me first," Nate put his pencil down and crossed his arms.

No use trying then. Sam knew his son would ask until his question got answered. After putting down his pencil as well, he muttered, "I don't?"

"Are you asking me?" The boy frowned in confusion.

"No, I mean, I don't hate him."

His son rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up from his mom. Sam sighed and gave up. "Fine. But hate is a strong word. I just... don't like him."

"Why? He seems nice. And he's Mommy's friend."

"Yeah, right." Sam had the urge to roll his eyes, but he wasn't about to pick up that habit, no.

"What do you mean? It's true."

Maybe Sam was being a bit childish, but he just wanted someone to be on his side. Didn't matter how old they were or how capable they were in judging others. "He's not exactly your Mommy's friend."

"No? Then who is he?"

"You know, before your Mommy and I met, we have other loved ones, ones we thought would be our beloved for life. Although of course we were wrong since your Mommy and I were meant to be. Anyway, that man used to be Mommy's... boyfriend."

Nate widened his eyes. "Really?"

Sam nodded and the little boy gasped, "So Mommy used to love him the way he love you now?"

"No, not like that at all!" Sam answered quickly with a pout. "Your Mommy loves me way, way more than he _liked _him then."

"So... why do you hate Uncle Finn?"

Sam had no choice, see. He had to put it as simple as he could. Nate wouldn't understand the complex explanation because he was too young to understand. So Sam explained in one, short sentence that summed it all up and was, honestly, completely unbiased, "I think he wants to steal Mommy from us."

* * *

"I don't like you," Nate exclaimed bluntly the very next morning when they had breakfast together. Sam silently cheered on his son, but Finn didn't seem appalled. Instead, he was chuckling, even more when Quinn lecturing Nate about manner. The boy didn't understand why his mom seemed to be on Uncle Finn's side- did she want to be stolen or something? But Daddy said Mommy loved him more, so...

Really, it was too confusing for Nate's small head. He just knew that he believed what his dad said and he would never, ever let that happen. Especially since Uncle Finn seemed to care less about his display of hate. Even when Daddy and him got ready to go and said their goodbyes to Mommy and Livy on the door, Uncle Finn wrapped his arm around Mommy's shoulder and waved like he was the owner of the house.

Yeah, Nate really didn't like him.

* * *

The little boy put the phone down. His dad just called and said that he had to stay back at the office. Expecting to order a delivery since his mom was busy with a project, the boy pouted when Uncle Finn said he would cook instead.

"I don't want to eat your food! I only eat Daddy's!" Nate said defiantly.

"Oh God, shut it!" Quinn snapped and turned to Finn. "It's okay, Finn. I don't want to bother you. We can just order a takeout-."

"No, no. It's the least I can do. I couldn't freeload my stay here, no?"

"Finn, don't say that..."

"I was just kidding," Finn chuckled and stroked Quinn's hair. "Don't be too serious."

Nate watched with growing dislike and he burst out. "I don't wanna eat your food!"

"Don't eat then," Quinn rolled her eyes.

In the end, Nate made himself a bowl of cereal and milk and ate in his room, avoiding the scene of his mom and that man eating happily on the dinner table ('like family,' a small, annoying thought popped up in his mind, but Nate ignored it).

His hate towards Finn only piled up the next day when even Kate, his very own best friend, seemed to like him.

"Really, I think your drawings are cute," Finn said as he ruffled the petite girl's hair, while on the side Nate pouted when he saw Kate blushing adorably.

"Thank you..." Kate said softly and drew something again quickly. She proudly showed it to Finn who smiled and said, "Oh, is that me?"

Which part of it? Nate wondered. To him, the drawing looked like scribbles, although he knew better than to say it out loud. Kate would've cried.

"Yes," Kate nodded shyly, "it's for you."

Nate bulged his eyes.

After he took Kate back home, he returned with a new set of determination and confronted Finn instantly. "You will never steal Mommy away from us!"

The subject of hatred just had to chuckle. How couldn't he? The son was as amusing as the dad. "Oh? Why not?"

"Because my Daddy is better than you! He's more handsome, he's smarter, he cooks better than you!"

"Well, you've never tasted my cooking, so you don't know that..."

"I don't care! I know already! Besides, my Mommy and Daddy are so so so much in love!"

"You mean like how I'm in love with my dog back home, and how I really love good food..."

"It's not like that!" Nate screamed in frustration and Finn had to stop himself from laughing out loud. "Mommy couldn't live without Daddy! Although she doesn't say it, she would miss him when he doesn't come home! So just give up because Mommy would never go with you!"

"What's with all the racket!?" Quinn appeared, displeased with Nate's shouting as it was getting hard to focus on her work. "Who is going with who?"

"Mommy!" Nate ran to his mom and hugged her legs. "You're not going with him, right?"

"Who said that?"

Nate kept his lips sealed, but Quinn didn't need him to say that it was Sam. This was getting out of control and she swore she would talk to her husband later. "Listen, go to your room and think about how impolite you have been to our guest!"

"But Mommy-!"

"No but!" Quinn said sternly. The little boy pouted but he knew better than going against his mom's words. He stuck his tongue out at Finn and ran upstairs to his room. After she was sure that Nate stayed in his room like she told him to, Quinn turned to Finn and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry."

"I don't know what has gotten into them- Nate and Sam. Mostly Sam because obviously he said some weird things to Nate..."

"Seems like he's still the jealous man, huh?" Finn just chuckled.

* * *

Later that day, Sam came home to similarly unpleasant scene in the baby room. Finn was holding his baby, _his _daughter, and was singing to her. "Give her to me," Sam said curtly and extended his hand like a kid asking for candies.

Finn merely hushed him and said softly, "She's sleeping."

"Then let her _dad _bring her to bed," Sam persisted, already taking his daughter into his arms, but the movements woke Livy up and she began to wail. "Sssh... sshh, Livy, it's Daddy... don't cry..." But she wouldn't stop crying, and soon enough Quinn walked in, tired and annoyed.

"What happened here? I thought Livy was sleeping already. Did you wake her up?"

"I didn't-," Sam began defensively. "I just wanted to hold her."

"Do you even know that she had been crying nonstop?" Quinn snapped. "I was finally about to get some rest but now she woke up again!"

"A dad has the right to hold his daughter, no?"

"Well, a dad should've helped me to stop her from crying, not causing her to cry again!"

"Hey, hey, don't fight in front of the baby," Finn tried to step in. Sam was about to lash out at him, but Livy wailed again, louder this time. "She's just sleepy, you need to hold her properly."

"What do you know!? I'm her dad, I-."

"Sam, please," Quinn rubbed her forehead. "I'm very tired, okay? "

Reluctantly, unwillingly, Sam returned Livy to Finn. True enough, moments later Livy was sound asleep and Finn lowered her to the baby crib gently.

"See?" Quinn scolded Sam again in a low voice. "You're not helping here. He knew what to do."

Sam couldn't help it. Those words sent jealousy surging through him like fire. Jealousy... and fear. "...Why don't you marry him then?"

Without waiting for Quinn's reaction, he dashed to his and Quinn's room and grabbed a bag. Quinn came after him, asking what he was doing, but Sam didn't answer. Head pulsing with anger, he stuffed one shirt after another inside the bag. "I'm not coming home for a while," he said almost robotically as he stormed out of the room. Nate was standing there on the hallway, confused, awoken by all the commotion. Finn was there too, and one look at his unreadable expression was enough for Sam to shut off all of Quinn's pleading.

* * *

**Uh, oh. What's happening here? Sam's leaving? Well, I know you'll probably hate Finn for this, and hate me too, but things like this could happen in a marriage. ****Sorry for the cliffhanger-ish ending but I have to do this. ****You'll find out what's going to happen in the next chapter though a.k.a the second part of this story. And if I can get many reviews for this, I could update the second part faster ;) So, keep it coming. Tell me wether you like it, or hate it. Thank you :)**


	5. Uncle Finn: part 2

"Do you want more water, Mommy?"

Quinn shook her head and said weakly with a raspy voice. "You should go to bed, Nate. It's late."

"Don't worry about me, Mommy! Wait here, okay, I'll cook you something!" Nate kissed his mom's cheek and ran downstairs before Quinn could stop him. He frowned when he recalled how his mom's skin felt like burning under his kiss earlier. The boy stopped by the phone and tried calling his dad again, but it went straight to voicemail like usual. It had been two days since his dad left, and the morning after, his mom fell sick and could barely left the bed since this evening.

"Is your mom feeling better?" A voice startled him, causing him to nearly dropped the pan he was holding. When he saw it was Uncle Finn, he didn't answer.

"Sorry I couldn't come back earlier... I'll cook you and your mom something."

"I can do it myself," Nate huffed and turned away.

"Can you?" Finn tilted his head. "Do you even know how to turn on the stove?"

"I don't need your help! Because of you, Daddy left! Because of you, Mommy's sick!"

Finn stayed silent, watching Nate rummaging the kitchen for instant porridge and found none. In the end, he called out, "Hey, Nate..."

"What?"

"Just let me help you, okay? Your Mommy needs to eat so she can get better. I can make porridge quickly. After that, I'll make something for both of us to eat. What do you say?"

"I said I don't need-."

"I know you're a good boy. Don't you wanna be a good son to your Mommy? And your sister, she needs your Mommy too. Don't you want to be a good brother to her?"

Nate bit his lip, eyes watering. He was just a kid, he knew, and he couldn't help his mom. But Uncle Finn patted his head and didn't say anything anymore as he began to prepare the porridge. After it was done, he gave it to Nate along with a glass of water and medicine for Quinn. For Nate, the least he could do was making sure that his mom finished it all, although his mom said she didn't need him spoon feeding her. His mom looked a bit better already after eating, and fell asleep right away.

When Nate went back down, Uncle Finn had already prepared food for them both, delicious looking food that made his mouth water. Hunger overcame his pride and they ate together on the dining table.

"Thank you," Nate whispered and Finn responded with a smile.

* * *

"There's someone here to see you, Sir. He said he- hey! Wait! Don't-."

Finn burst in, followed by his panicked secretary. "I'm sorry, Sir, he-."

"It's fine," Sam cut her off and gestured for her to leave them alone. She hurried outside while closing the door. "What do you want?"

"Quinn's sick."

Enormous worry shot through him, but he was still angry at Finn. At Quinn too for always taking his side. "Oh? I see..."

"You see? _You see? _Is that all you can say? Are you not going home to take care of your wife?"

"Aren't... aren't you taking care of her already?"

"Why are you acting like this, huh?" Finn asked again and stepped forward, as if challenging Sam. "Because I'm Quinn's ex-boyfriend? Are you afraid, Sam? Do you have no confidence? Do you think Quinn would leave you, after all this time, and come running back to me?"

"Shut up!" Sam snapped, ready to throw a punch at the man's face, but Finn grabbed his hand.

"I see you prefer wasting your energy over your jealousy rather than holding onto what you have," Finn tightened his grip. "I'm disappointed in you. Even Nate is a much better man compared to you. At least he tries his best to look after his family with his tiny hands."

With that, Finn left him alone.

* * *

It was dark outside and the house looked quiet. With the spare key he had, he opened the door slowly, careful not to alert people in the house. But he was ambushed the moment he entered. "Daddy! Daddy, you're back!" Nate practically jumped onto his legs and hugged him tightly, as if afraid he would disappear again.

"Hey Nate..." He missed his son terribly, he realized. Squatting down to Nate's level, he hugged the boy and kissed the crown of his head.

"Where have you been, Daddy? Why didn't you come home? Mommy was sick and I didn't know what to do-," his voice turned to whine and he seemed to be trying hard not to cry. Sam patted his back, guilt swallowing him.

"I'm sorry... Can you forgive me, Nate?"

Nate rubbed his eyes and smiled at his dad. "It's okay. Uncle Finn told me you'd definitely come back today and here you are."

"Yeah," Sam forced a smile. He had been a bad head of the family, hadn't he? "Thank you for looking after Mommy, big boy. You can rest now. Go to sleep and let me stay with Mommy. I promise I won't leave again, okay?"

Nate nodded again, with a big, relieved grin this time. He remembered something and said, "Oh, Daddy. I think you should apologize to Uncle Finn. He doesn't want to steal Mommy."

"...I know, I know."

"Oh, but his food is better than you. You should learn from him, Daddy."

Sam narrowed his eyes in reflex, but he knew better than throwing another fit. "Is Mommy in the bedroom?"

"Yes, she's feeling much better now but Uncle Finn stayed with her to make sure. But don't worry, Daddy. Mommy still loves you sooo much. She kept on calling your name when she was sleeping." And that was when Sam pledged to himself that he would always protect his family with all his might.

After Sam tucked Nate in his bed, he came out just as Finn did the same from his and Quinn's bedroom. "Hey," Sam began awkwardly. "Uh... thank you."

"You're welcome. Let's just say I'm repaying the favor of you guys letting me stay here these past few days."

"I guess... I should say sorry-."

Finn raised his hand to cut him off. "I'm gonna be honest with you. Quinn does, and will always hold an important place in me."

"You..." Sam mind went blank, "what?"

"I just got divorced," Finn continued. "I married someone I didn't love and I was unhappy. I came here on a business trip, but really, I just wanted... to see how Quinn is doing. She was the one whom I thought I would spend my life with. If only I didn't have to return to take care of my step dad's business..." The man smiled ruefully. "But even if I stayed at Quinn's side, somehow, now I know you two will get together in the end."

Sam could see it. The longing, the regret... the sincerity.

"You two belong together. She-," the man fell silent as he recalled their conversation a few days ago.

_"Seems like he's still the jealous man, huh?" Finn just chuckled._

_Quinn sighed again, but there was an affectionate smile on her face. "He never changed. But I've learned to accept him the way he is. After all, that's just one way for him to show his..." She didn't finish her words. Instead, she turned away to hide her blush._

_"You seem happy," Finn said softly._

_"...I am."_

"She's happy with you, with the family. If Nate isn't enough proof, Livy is."

Sam didn't know what to say, but he didn't need to. The other man patted his back, "You can relax. I'll go and find my own love. There's no reason for me to prolong my stay now that you're here, so tomorrow I'll return to Hawaii. Now go and see your wife."

"Finn," Sam said before Finn could leave. "I'm sorry, okay? You're not a bad man."

Finn chuckled and waved, "Just don't stop making her happy."

* * *

"Ng..." Quinn stirred awake when she felt a pair of lips kissing her forehead.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

She shot her eyes open at hearing the familiar voice. The voice she missed so much. "Sam?" The face she missed so much. The person she missed so, so much. "Sam, is that really you?"

"Yes... hey, hey, don't get up, you're still-."

"I'm fine." Quinn persisted and sat up. She stared at Sam and reached up to place a palm over his cheek. "Where... where have you been?"

"I've been sleeping at the office," Sam chuckled, embarrassed. "Silly, huh?"

Quinn just continued to stare at him and didn't say anything. Sam's smile faded as he began to worry. "Err... you're mad at me."

"No," Quinn stroked his cheek with one hand and pulled him closer with the other. "I'm not dreaming, right? You're really here?"

"Yeah, it's me," Sam hesitated, but he placed another kiss on Quinn's forehead. He couldn't have prepared himself what was going to happen: Quinn had suddenly burst into tears. "Quinn? Hey, hey, don't cry... I'm here now... back with you..." He was loved, wasn't he? Really loved. Even after he ran out like that, behaved like an irresponsible child, none of his family were mad at him. Instead, they always thought of him, worried over him. How could he had overlooked that?

"I'm sorry, Sam... Don't go..."

"No, no..."

"I'm gonna tell him to go tomorrow, I promise. So please don't leave again..."

"Hey, no, I'm sorry. I was the one overreacting. You're too precious to me and I was afraid-." Quinn looked like she was about to protest, so Sam continued while wiping her tears away, "I know, I know. I should've believed in you, but I couldn't helped it. I mean, look at you." The man smiled, his eyes spoke of never ending adoration towards the blonde woman. "You're so beautiful. Don't deny it because it's the truth. I would die without you because I love you too much. But still, I was acting stupid, I know." Sam kissed Quinn all over her face and placed a kiss on her lips last. "Forgive me?"

Quinn answered with a deep kiss. Even without words, Sam could feel her relief, her longing, and most importantly, her love. His body responded way too quickly and he broke the kiss, but Quinn pulled him again desperately, hands already roaming all over Sam's back.

"Quinn... mmhh... hey, we can't..." Sam said in between Quinn's intoxicating kisses, yet his hands were pulling Quinn close instead of pushing her away. "You're still sick..."

"I said I'm fine already..." Quinn whimpered and tugged at Sam's tie. "I want-."

Right then, Livy's wail could be heard from the baby monitor placed right on the side table. The pair froze in their position- Sam already looming over Quinn who was spread on the bed. The blonde man blinked and he began to chuckle, "Looks like I forgot to apologize to one more member of the family."

"I'll get her..." Quinn stood up, but she wobbled dangerously and Sam caught her before she could fall.

"Whoa, Quinn, you _are _still sick!" Sam forced Quinn to lay on top of the bed once more and tucked her under the blanket. "To think that you nearly seduced me in this state..."

"Oh, shut up..." Quinn's face was red and the adorable pout nearly melted Sam. His love, his wife, his soulmate.

_"But even if I stayed at Quinn's side, somehow, now I know you two will get together in the end."_

Sam believed so too. He should've never doubted Quinn.

"Go to sleep, okay? I'll go to Livy..."

* * *

Just like how they picked him up on the first day, the whole family also sent him off together at the airport. Quinn insisted she was feeling better, and after a lot of persuading, Sam finally gave up.

"Will you come again, Uncle Finn?" Nate asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Finn chuckled and shrugged, "if your dad allow me to."

"Daddy!" The little boy whined at his dad.

"Of course you can come again," Sam said, but not without instinctively wrapping an arm possessively around Quinn. It didn't go unnoticed by Finn.

"Well, that's my flight, so I'm going in. Take care, all of you." He took one last look at the Evans family. A bit silly but loving dad, tempered but kind mom, reckless but dependable older child, and last but not least crybaby but cute younger child. They weren't picture perfect, really. They had flaws, but those flaws were charming and made people envious. They certainly made him envious. He pictured them with a dog who loved to play but had a bad habit of chewing things and he had to laugh. Maybe he should send them a dog later. But Quinn seemed like she was more of a cat person...

He smiled at Quinn, the beautiful Quinn, who returned the smile. "Thank you... and goodbye."

"You mean see you again. It's not goodbye if you're coming back later!" Nate corrected innocently and Finn laughed.

"Well, okay. See you again! And Quinn..." He grinned mischievously. "If you ever get divorced, you know my number!"

"YOU-!" Sam yelled and Finn laughed as he disappeared behind the departure door.

* * *

**First of all, thank you for all reading this story and for the overwhelming reviews :) I really appreciate it.**

**B2stB2uty**: Thank you :) Keep reading this story cause I still have lots of it :)

**Team Wallflower**: Thank you :) I also couldn't believe _I_ made Quinn said that. Guess she's just too tired and irritated, though.

**RJRRAA**: Well... if you noticed, from earlier in Stubborn Denial, Quinn is a person who easily get annoyed. She's annoyed by Sam's and Nate's affection (she won't admit it but she loved it). She's not that fond of PDA. But... do you like that side of Quinn? :)

**Guest (1)**: Thank you for reading :)

**SportyGirl00**: Thank you. And of course, I'll continue to update this story :)

**Guest (2)**: Thank you. Here's the update for you :)

**Mrang12**: Thanks :) Well, you're lucky cause I got the update for you :)

**Anyway, this is the end of the Uncle Finn story. Will we see Finn again in the future? I don't plan on it but who knows ;) And yes, I still have lots of one-shots for this story so don't worry, it's not ending soon. And if I can get many reviews for this, I can update this even faster. So, keep it coming! Tell me, whether you like it or hate it. Thank you :)**

**Hint: the next story will be involved in one main idea, but I'll divide it to 3 parts ;)**


	6. Baby Tales: part 1

**Part 1: Quinn**

She woke up with a start. A baby's wail could be heard from the baby monitor and that explained why her sleep was disturbed once again. A glance at the clock on the bedside table told her it was 3:45 am. Right on schedule actually, she thought wryly. Lately the baby had been choosing to wake up around 2 to 5 am. She reached out to her husband who slept soundly next to her. "Sam... Sam, Livy is crying again."

"Hmm..." A sleepy mumble responded, but there was no sign of him waking up.

"Sam, please, I had just slept for two hours."

No reply this time except for a snore.

Quinn sighed and got off the bed to tend to Livy. She had a headache due to lack of sleep, and all the crying only made it worse. "Come here, baby..." she said as she picked Livy up. "Why are you awake, huh? Oh, your diaper's dirty..."

It began to take its toll on her. Quinn tried to remember why it didn't feel this hard when they had Nate even thought that was their first time. Then she realized they had everyone helping them, from her sister Frannie to Kurt. Sam also wasn't as busy with work. Now Frannie was busy with her own family, Kurt was in New York, and Sam... Well, Sam hadn't been present.

Now that Quinn recalled, Sam seemed to be working a lot more. Early meetings, overtimes, out of town trips. Sam said their company was handling a big project right now, but Quinn couldn't care less. That might be true or Sam might simply be avoiding his responsibility to take care of Livy. The point was, Quinn felt overwhelmed with Livy and Sam wasn't helping. Not even at night or early morning when Sam just continued sleeping while she had to stay up until Livy decided to go to bed.

Could she be blamed for feeling so averse to her husband? She wouldn't respond to his kisses and hugs, saying that she felt tired. That wasn't a lie, although not the whole truth. She also preferred to go to bed early so she wouldn't see him. Which made sense anyway because some time past midnight Livy would wake up and she would be the one tending her, so she needed all the sleep she could get.

If her older son wasn't playing or working on his homework, he would be annoying her and asking for her attention. Which made her even angrier at Sam because he was the one who supposed to take care of Nate, not her. What happened to the division of labor? Now not only she got her hands full, more and more burden was forced onto her.

"Mommy," Nate tugged her sleeve. "Mommy, Livy is crying again."

Quinn rubbed her forehead, the headache wouldn't go away even after she drank some pills. She knew she should get off the couch, she should look after Livy, but her body felt weirdly heavy. She wasn't sick, no, just unwilling to move. Why? She should move now, Livy was her responsibility-.

"Mommy? Mommy, why are you crying?"

"Shut up..."

"Mommy...?"

"Shut up and go to your room!" Quinn snapped harshly, which caused Nate to wince and ran up to his room.

Livy continued to cry in her room, but Quinn just covered her ears with her hands. She hated it, she hated the crying and whining and she didn't want to see the baby. Who cared if Livy just cry like that? Sam didn't care, why should she? Sam was the one who made her pregnant, Sam was the one who looked happy when Livy was born. That was a month ago. Could it be that his feelings had changed?

"Quinn? What happened?" Another voice she hated emerged. Sam had arrived home at just the right time. "Why is Livy crying? Why don't you go to her?"

Quinn stood up and stomped upstairs followed by Sam. But she didn't go to the baby's room and went inside the bedroom instead. She slammed the door closed and plopped herself face down on the bed. Faintly, she could hear Sam calming Livy down and talking to Nate. Before long, the door to the bedroom was opened and Quinn didn't need to turn around to know it was Sam.

"Hey-." A hand reached out and touched her shoulder, but she slapped it away. Sam seemed to be taken aback and silence fell between them before he spoke up again. "Nate said you yelled at him just now... What happened, Quinn?"

"Like you care."

Sam was obviously surprised at the venom in Quinn's voice. "Quinn... Did I do something wrong?" When there was no answer, he continued, "I think... I think you're just tired..."

"Of course I'm tired!" Quinn snapped and turned to face Sam. The blonde man was at loss for words when he saw how _tired_ Quinn actually looked. Not the kind of tired when she stayed up late to work or woke up too early. She looked utterly exhausted, angry, fed up and helpless. And hateful.

"T-then you should get some rest-."

"You think I don't want that? You think I like not getting enough sleep? Staying up because Livy was always crying at night and you were always sleeping?"

"Quinn-."

"What am I, huh? Some- some babysitting machine who wouldn't get tired? Of course I'm tired! I have headaches and I can barely work and I've been told off by my clients. But did you know? Of course you didn't! Because you were too busy _not_ being _here_."

"Hey, hey, baby... I'm sorry, okay? I didn't-."

"Don't 'baby' me!" Quinn sat up and shouted almost hysterically. "You didn't what? You didn't mean to be that way? Well, prove it! You take care of the baby! I'm not doing it anymore!" She shoved past Sam who was stunned enough to not hold her back.

"Huh? Q-Quinn?" Sam stuttered when Quinn was well on her way downstairs. "Where are you going?"

"Away from the baby! Away from you!"

All the screaming finally woke Livy up again and she began to cry. Sam was torn for a second, but Livy's voice got louder and louder, so he could only call out Quinn's name while deciding to tend Livy.

Paying no attention to the panicking Sam, Quinn strode without hesitation and grabbed the key of Sam's Hummer. She brought nothing else, no money, no cell phone. She just wanted to get away. The car got out of the garage right when Sam showed up on the front door with Livy in his arms and Nate behind him, but she just drove off.

Her mind was blank the whole way, and before she knew it, she had arrived in front of Frannie's house. She didn't even realize she was crying until Frannie asked her worriedly when she opened the door. There was no one else in the house- her husband was visiting his dad with their son. Despite all the questions, Quinn was too tired to answer, and she fell asleep the moment she touched the bed.

That was her first deep, undisturbed sleep in two weeks, and she didn't wake up until 11 am the next morning.

Frannie forced her to eat until she was full before she asked again about what happened. She told her everything and strange enough she felt calmer and more relaxed until she excused herself to go back to sleep. As she dozed off on the bed, she could hear Frannie outside the room, softly talking to someone on the phone. "...Yes, Sam, she's not just tired. She's suffering from baby blues syndrome... I'm pretty sure..."

Different from the previously dreamless sleep, she dreamt about her family now. She couldn't remember what happened in the dream, but it didn't matter, because when she woke up, her husband was laying down next to her.

"Hey, Quinn..." Sam whispered while stroking her hair hesitantly. Quinn stared at him and tried to recall why she was so full of hate towards him, but everything was a blur. All that she knew was she missed him already, so she leaned her head towards Sam's big hand, causing Sam to smile in relief.

"The kids?" Quinn asked softly.

"With your sister."

Quinn closed her eyes, enjoying her husband's touch.

"Sorry, Quinn... I know we should've given you some time and space, but we all miss you." Quinn could feel a kiss being pressed onto her forehead. "If you still want to stay here..."

"No," Quinn muttered. "I'm going back with you."

"Are you sure? Because you don't have to worry about Livy and Nate. I've taken a leave from the office for a while."

The blonde girl smiled and opened her eyes again. "That means we can take care of them together."

Sam continued to stroke her hair, a loving gesture that hadn't been shared for what felt like forever. They had truly grown apart for a while. Sam vowed to put an end to it. "I wish you had told me earlier- no, I should've realized." He shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Quinn turned her head a bit and placed a kiss on Sam's palm. She moved closer to Sam and let herself be wrapped inside the strong pair of arms. "Can we go back home after dinner?"

"Of course, of course..." There was no stopping Sam from placing kisses all over Quinn's face. "I love you."

Quinn mumbled, "I love you too." She kissed his lips then she dozed off to sleep again in her husband's arms.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait and sorry if it's too short. But like I said in the previous chapter, this will be a 3-part-one-shot. You got to see how Quinn dealt with Livy this time and the next one will be about Nate so please anticipate it.**

**Anyway, for those who has been asking for the 6th chapter of Date in Paradise, I don't know when but I promise I'll update it before the end of June :)**

**Thank you for reading and sticking around with this story. Thank you for the reviews too. If I can get many reviews on this, I'll update this faster ;)**


	7. Baby Tales: part 2

**Part 2: Nate**

Despite his promise that he would be the best brother, he really, really didn't feel like it lately. He kept on reminding himself that he was a big boy, that he could take care of himself, but he couldn't get rid of the thought that his Mommy loved his baby sister more than him.

"Of course not," his Daddy said and ruffled his hair. "How could you say that?"

"I don't know," Nate felt a bit embarrassed now that his dad had said so, but the jealousy refused to lessen. "Mommy plays with Livy a lot."

"That's not just playing, Nate. Livy still needs a lot of attention, she's just a baby, remember? She's only 9 months old. Your mom and me have agreed that I should play with you while she takes care of Livy. And then when I play with Livy, you get Mommy. There should be no one left alone, but you can blame your Daddy here because sometimes he's busy working and couldn't play with you as much."

Nate should understand, as he wasn't only a big boy, he was also a smart boy.

Then again, how could he when everything Livy did just took all the attention? All the cheers, all the amused laughter whenever Livy did something 'funny', just didn't make sense to Nate, including what happened a few days ago.

The boy had come home in a high spirit, sure that his Mommy would praise him. Despite his weakness in math, his study paid off and he got the mark A in the last test, and he couldn't wait to show the test result to his mom. Who knows? He would probably get a kiss he could brag about to his dad. "Mommy! Mommy!" He called out as he ran up the stairs. "Mommy, where are you? I want to show you something! Mommy!"

He found his mom in his sister's room (as usual) and quickly showed the paper, "Look, Mommy, I got A-."

"Did you hear that, Nate?" Quinn didn't even look at Nate. Her eyes were fixed at the baby in her arms. "Did you hear what Livy just said?"

"Mommy, look at my test result-."

"Livy just called me Mommy!" Quinn smiled widely and kissed Livy's forehead (he wanted that kiss too, the older boy thought from the side). "Come on, Livy. Say it again. Call me! Say it again, smart girl!"

The baby cackled and beamed at Quinn, "Mee!"

"That's right! Who's your Mommy? I'm your Mommy!" Quinn smothered the baby's face with kisses. "Wait until your dad hears about this! Your first word and it's me-."

Meanwhile, Nate sneaked out and into his own room. He flopped down the bed and crumpled the paper in his hand into a ball before throwing it somewhere between his pile of toys.

But the one incident that made him explode was when his mom didn't come to the Parents Day, even after Nate made her promise over and over again until her mom snapped and told him to be quiet. His face fell when he saw that only Daddy came with an apologetic face. "Livy's sick, so Mommy has to take her to the doctor," his dad explained. "I'm taking you home after this, then I have to go back to work, okay?"

When he didn't receive a response, Sam nudged his son, "Nate? Did you hear me?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"...Mommy said sorry."

Nate didn't say anything, already determined on carrying out the plan he just thought of. There was no one at the house, so after his dad went back to work, he rushed to his room and pulled out his big backpack. He took one t-shirt and a pair of pants, two of his favorite toys, a Superman figure and a toy car, along with his piggy bank which he would've broke right then if not for the fact that it was a gift from Kate. Of course he needed to eat, so he went to the kitchen to grab some chocolates and instant noodles before filling up his water bottle. Now he was all set.

"Nate, where are you going?" Kate, who happened to be sitting on the front porch of her house, asked curiously as she saw her best friend walking sneakily with a huge backpack.

"I'm running away from home," Nate put his forefinger to his lips. "Don't worry, Kate, I'll come to play with you sometimes!"

"Okay!" Kate giggled and waved.

The little boy continued to walk, unsure of where to go. In the end, his feet took him to the park where he usually played with Kate. He decided he could take a rest for a moment while thinking of where to go next, so he put down his backpack and got on the swing.

He must've spent quite some time there, because the sun was setting when he snapped out of his daydream... and saw his dad walking towards him, looking out of breath but relieved.

"He's here, at the park," his dad talked into his phone. Most likely his mom was on the other side. Sam sat down on the swing next to him and stroked his hair gently. Nate waited for his dad to say something. Scolding him, maybe. But his dad just asked, "Enjoying your adventure so far?"

Nate shrugged and Sam continued, "Kate told us you were running away from home."

"Uh-huh."

"Care to tell me why?"

"Because Mommy doesn't need me."

Sam huffed and thought for a moment. "...You know, Nate, when you were still a baby, your mom never let you out of her sight."

Nate stole a glance at his dad, his attention piqued.

"She didn't take any work for a while because she wanted to focus on taking care of you. Every little thing you did made her happy. She would send me photos of you or both of you, and then I would rush to get off work and see my family. Once, you got a really high fever and she called me, crying and begging me to come home because she was so scared of losing you. I was scared of losing you too." Sam smiled at his son who couldn't take his eyes off him now. "But you made it. You grew up. Look at you now, a big boy. A big brother. Mommy feels safe now because... well, you can take care of yourself."

"But Livy can't," Nate muttered in understanding. "Livy can't take care of herself."

"You're such a smart boy, you know that? Don't think I don't know about that A mark you got on that math test. Mommy showed it to me."

Nate widened his eyes. "But I..."

"You threw it away? Well, Mommy found it and told me to give you a present. Me, being the bad dad I am, haven't got the time to buy you one."

"You're not a bad Daddy!" Nate shook his head.

"You're not a bad brother yourself," Sam brought his pinkie forward. "Promise me you would help Mommy to take care of Livy? Because Mommy needs your help too."

Nate linked their pinkies together and shook them. "Promise!"

"NATE!"

The boy flinched, knowing very well who the voice belonged to. His dad patted his back and he turned around to face his mom who was carrying Livy. Quinn looked angry and Nate inwardly prepared himself to get scolded as he wondered what punishment he would get. But soon he found out how wrong he was when Mommy suddenly burst into tears while hugging him with one hand, her other hand protectively clutched Livy.

"I was so worried, Nate!" Quinn cried and Nate felt so guilty that he cried as well. It was left to Sam to calm them both down.

It was already dark when they finally walked back home together, each of Nate's hand held by his parents. The boy stared at his sister, who happened to stare back at him, and said softly. "I'm sorry, Livy. I'm going to be a better brother, okay? You can trust your brother."

Livy blinked and opened her mouth, "Nut."

"Eh?" The two adults said at the same time and exchanged glances.

"Nut!"

Nate looked at his parents with a big grin, "Did she just say my name?"

* * *

**No, it's not a cliffhanger but it's just the way I wanted to end this chapter ;) Still one more part for Baby Tales, and yes, it would be about Sam the dad. Sorry if it's not that long, but I really hope you'll like it.**

**RJRRAA:** Hi there! Thank you :) I'm not really familiar with both terms but from what I search in the internet, baby blues is like the early terms of postpartum depression. I don't know which terms fit more the situation that Quinn had so let's just keep it that way, okay? ;)

**Kera:** Hi there! Thank you so much :) Well, maybe she's both stress and depressed but Sam finally helped her so it should be over ;) Updating it for you now :)

**Guest: **Hello :) I'm currently working on Date in Paradise so you'll see the update soon! Anyway, thanks for reading this story too.

**Anyway, thank you for reading this story. Reviews are always welcome. I would love to know what do you think of it. Anticipate the next chapter soon! Thank you :)**


	8. Baby Tales: part 3

**Part 3: Sam**

The door creaked open softly. A tall figure sneaked in, none other than the dad of the owner of the room. As if knowing that he would come, the baby wasn't sleeping but she wasn't crying either. Instead, she was extending her hands towards the hanging toys above her while making small, amused baby sounds.

"Hey, Livy," Sam called out and his daughter turned her eyes to him. "Come here, Livy, come to Daddy." After gathering his daughter in his arms as gentle as he could, Sam sat down on the armchair next to the baby crib and looked down at Livy.

"Do you love Daddy, Livy? Do you love me as much as you love Mommy and Nate?" He asked and was responded by wide, blinking baby eyes along with a toothless smile save for two small teeth poking out from her bottom gum. "You do, don't you? You do love Daddy very much."

Livy cackled as Sam rubbed their noses together. "Then why haven't you called Daddy, hmm? You've called Mommy and Nate, but why not me?"

Oh, yeah, he was jealous. He remembered Nate calling his name first when he was Livy's age, and Quinn didn't show any kind of jealousy back then, so of course he couldn't show it now. He had almost forgotten how much joy one would feel when your baby called out to you until Livy started calling Quinn not too long ago. So he had been doing this lately, sneaking into his baby's room at night and taught her the word 'Daddy' if she wasn't sleeping. So far his efforts were in vain.

"Daddy. Daaaddy. Da~~ddy," Sam tried all kinds of tone, but Livy just patted Sam's lips and giggled again every time Sam spoke. "Come on, Livy, it's not much different from 'Mommy'. Daaaaddyyyy."

Livy blinked and Sam sighed. "...Is it because I'm always working, Livy? Are you mad at me? But I've tried my best to come home early every night, you know... Well, of course one reason is because your Mommy would be angry at me otherwise, but I also want to see you, play with you, and... and hear you call me. So, Daddy."

"Mee!"

"No, not Mommy. Daddy."

"Nut?"

"Not Nate too! Daaaddy."

The baby suddenly yawned, making Sam realized that he had kept her awake for too long. He sighed again and patted his daughter. "Okay, okay, sorry. Go to sleep, Livy. We'll try again tomorrow..."

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but he remembered seeing his baby sleeping on his lap while sucking her thumb before he went into slumber himself right there on the armchair. He was awoken by the loss of the comfortable weight in his hold and opened his sleepy eyes to the sight of Quinn holding their baby.

"Mee! Mee!" Livy exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, it's Mommy, Livy. It's Mommy~." Quinn kissed her all over her face and noticed her husband's stare. "Oh, look, Daddy's awake, baby."

Sam pouted, crossed his arms, and finally muttered. "She wouldn't call me."

"What?"

"She wouldn't call me. She wouldn't say 'Daddy'."

Quinn blinked once, twice, then began to laugh. "I know. You've been trying to teach her."

"You knew?"

"Oh, for real? You didn't think I knew? I could hear you talking from the baby monitor, remember? I could not _not_ woke up."

Sam flushed in embarrassment and pouted even deeper. So much for sneaking his way around.

"Your Daddy is so silly, huh, Livy?" Quinn laughed again. "So silly, sulking like that by himself, hmm? Look at him, Livy."

"That's not fair," Sam stood up and huffed, couldn't care less that he was sulking like a little kid. "She had called you, she had called Nate, but not me. Livy doesn't love me."

"Oh shut up," Quinn rolled her eyes, but she looked more amused than not. She turned Livy around and hold her facing Sam. "Livy, who is that, baby? Who is that sulking?"

"Stop that, Quinn-."

"Dee!"

Sam gaped, couldn't believe his ears. In fact, he really couldn't believe it to the point that he dismissed it as random baby talk.

"Dee! Dee!" Livy pointed with her tiny fingers.

"Yes, baby, that's your Daddy."

Sam looked back and forth between Quinn and Livy. "Did... did she just..."

"Dee!"

"You're not the only one who've been teaching her to say 'Daddy'," the corner of Quinn's mouth curled up into a smile and Sam beamed in overflowing love towards his wife and his baby. "Am I not the best ever?"

"The best, the very, very best," Sam moved closer to them and wrapped his arms around Quinn before pressing their foreheads together. "You know what, you even deserve a trophy. I'll order it for you tomorrow."

Quinn would laugh again, but Sam sealed her lips with a kiss while Livy blinked and clapped her hands happily.

* * *

**This is a very short one but it's just the way I wanted to end this verse of story. Next verse will be about Nate meeting his grandparents. Wonder what will happen then ;)**

**Meanwhile, thank you for reading this story. Keep the reviews coming cause I'd like to know what do you think of it. I'll try to update this as soon as I can. Thank you :)**


	9. Meet the Grandparents: part 1

When Nate came home with a curious look on his face, Quinn knew it would be one of those days when Nate would ask her a lot of questions about something he had heard at school or something else that had attracted his attention along the way to or from school. The mom glanced at the clock and saw that it wouldn't be long until Sam, who can always handle all the questions better, return from the office. For the moment, Quinn sighed, wiping the rice stuck to Livy's cheek and turned to Nate again. "Yes?" she asked before Nate even said anything.

"Mommy, where are Grandpa and Grandma?"

Quinn froze, her hands gripped Livy's bowl hard. The toddler whined, wanting more food, but Quinn wasn't paying attention.

"Why do we never go their house, Mommy? My friend said he went to his grandpa and grandma's house every month. My other friend said her grandma lived with her. Even Kate said she got a lot of presents from them in her birthday and Christmas and New Year. Her grandma taught her mom how to cook. How about my grandma, Mommy?"

How to explain it to her son? She really didn't know what to say and she couldn't even look at Nate. The boy, on the other hand, was determined as usual. He latched onto Quinn's hand and tugged on it. "Mommy, Mommy, why aren't you answering me?"

"Well," Quinn threaded slowly, "my mom and dad are in heaven already. Since a very long time ago."

The boy fell silent for a while, feeling sad in the innocent way that kids feel about people that had passed away, even though they never get to know them. Quinn let herself hope that she had satisfied Nate with her answer, but apparently there was no such luck. "…Then what about Daddy's parents?"

"I'll tell you later," Quinn quickly answered, voice slightly hitched. She couldn't—wouldn't lie because Nate deserved the truth.

But how to tell your son that his grandparents had cut their family off their life? She had to rephrase it in one way or another, but nothing came to mind.

"Why later? Why not now?" Nate continued to ask, unknowingly pushing Quinn to her limit.

Luckily, right then the sound of Sam's car could be heard entering their driveway. Nate ran outside to welcome his dad while Quinn tried to calm down by pouring all her attention to Livy, picking her up and swinging her gently. It worked for a while, Livy's adorable chuckles and toddler chatters successfully distracting her, until her ears caught the conversation between the dad and son coming in from the front door.

"Really?"

"…Yep, we'll meet your grandparents in the summer break."

Quinn stiffened, an array of feelings barged through her in that split second— betrayal, anger, fear and suffocating anxiety. She put Livy down and ignored the baby's confused whine which grew into upset sobbing as she stormed off to the bedroom.

* * *

Sam Evans had always been a model son and led an easy life.

Until he met Quinn Fabray.

Suddenly nothing else mattered. His life as the heir of the huge corporation. The girl his parents were planning to introduce to him. His dad's outrage. Nothing mattered but the wonderful girl he had fallen in love with at first sight.

He had never regretted the day he met Quinn, not even once. The blonde girl had always been the source of his happiness and had blessed him with never-ending love, two wonderful children and a _home_. The only thing he regretted was the rejection from his side of the family, the complete opposite to the warm welcome from Quinn's family and friends.

The first time Sam brought Quinn home, Dwight Evans didn't say anything and shut himself inside the study. Quinn wasn't even allowed to step inside the family's house the next time she came over. The ultimatum came after the couple's first anniversary— leave Quinn or leave home. It wasn't a choice he was willing to make, but he had no doubt about which one to leave behind. By then, he was already climbing his own career while Quinn had always been a popular illustrator, so there was no problem in building their life together.

Unwilling to lose her only son, his mom Mary Evans gradually gave in and kept in touch, even telling him to say hello to Quinn after a while. Sam exchanged some formal, stiff greetings with his dad, but the last time they met was a disaster. It almost ruined their relationship forever, when his dad obnoxiously still tried to set him up with his friend's daughter. It was his mom who again saved the straining bond between Sam and his dad, endlessly apologizing to Sam and trying to convince his dad, bit by bit, that Quinn was a part of their family.

So when his mom called a few days after Livy was born and said that his dad asked about how they were doing, Sam knew there was hope.

* * *

"When were you planning to tell me?"

Sam sighed, knowing that his wife was upset and had the right to feel that way. He shut the door behind him and sat on the bed next to Quinn. Livy's crying had ceased and Nate said he would watch after his sister, so now it was his turn to tend to Quinn. "Look, I'm sorry… I knew you wouldn't—."

"You're an ass, you know that? You were using Nate."

The accusation cut straight through. After all, it was the truth. If he told Quinn first, she would've said no immediately and forbid Sam to say anything to their kids. If Nate was the first to know, in turn the boy would persuade Quinn. At least he swore he wasn't involved in Nate's curiosity about his grandparents. That was truly courtesy of his school, which he was thankful for. "…He just wants to see his grandparents."

"And since when his grandparents want to see him?"

"My mom said—."

"When?"

"…Two weeks ago," Sam admitted, knowing that he deserved the glare for keeping it from Quinn.

"What did she say? That your dad wants us to come visit him?" The blonde girl asked mockingly.

"Yes," Sam said, letting the single word sunk into the bewildered Quinn who certainly didn't expect that answer to her sarcastic question. "He told my mom to invite us to our summer villa."

Quinn shook her head, not surprised at all that Sam's dad said it through his mom instead of telling them himself. "He told your mom…"

"At least he's trying, okay?" Sam said a bit too quickly. He noticed the flash in Quinn's eyes and pulled her into his embrace, knowing very well what went through her mind in that split of second. That guilt that always dwelt within Quinn— the guilt of separating Sam from his parents. "Stop it. Don't even think about that again. I chose you, you didn't make me choose you."

The tension in Quinn dissipated a little and she finally returned the embrace. "…But how do you know if he's ready for us or not?"

"I don't care. I just… I want them to see how happy I am with you and the kids. But if you don't want to go…"

Quinn stared up at Sam, hesitation filled her to the brim. Of course her husband would never say 'please do it for me' because Sam, her selfless Sam, did everything only for his little family. If Quinn said she didn't want to go, then Sam would no doubt refuse the invitation and find a way to explain to the excited Nate why they would not go to see his grandparents. How could Quinn have the heart to burn the little chance for Sam to make peace with his parents?

And yet…

"Well… if your dad wants to see the kids…"

"My mom said he had been asking about them, yes."

"Maybe, maybe you can go with them…" Quinn voice grew smaller as Sam's eyebrows furrowed.

"There are four members of my family," the blonde man stated gently yet firmly. "If one of us _couldn't _go, then we won't go. I'll call my mom now to tell her that we can't go..."

* * *

She remembered how Sam's mom used to look at her like she carried a disease. She couldn't forget how Sam's dad used to give her the cold shoulder all the time. Instead of yelling and making a commotion, they were the type who threatened you and made you feel uncomfortable. Quinn didn't usually care about what other people think of her, but when she was continuously treated as _unworthy _of someone she loved the most, it just got under her skin regardless of Sam's constant support and reassurance.

That was why her hands wouldn't stop trembling when the beautiful villa finally came into view.

Sam, who had been stealing glances at her through the overhead mirror, turned around and gave her an encouraging smile. Next to her on the front seat, Nate was babbling excitedly, but Quinn just couldn't share the enthusiasm. She opted to busy herself with unbuckling her daughter and taking her into her arms.

"Is that my grandma?"

Yes she was. The elderly woman who welcomed them in the courtyard as they stepped off the car was the one and only Mary Evans. She didn't change much, save for some wrinkles. She still dressed up prim and proper, an elegant upbringing that couldn't be mistaken for someone else's. The difference was, unlike back then when she used to stare down at Quinn, now there was fondness in her eyes.

"Mom," Sam gave her a long, tight hug. She couldn't stop stroking his hair the way a mom would to her son. Phone calls could never replace meeting in person. The man then stepped aside and beckoned Nate to come closer. "This is Nate."

"Good evening," Nate greeted politely and beamed up at his grandma who squatted down to hug the boy, but she got more than she expected. She earned a peck on the cheek, and that was more than enough to make her fall in love with her oldest grandson.

"What a handsome and sweet boy," her voice was shaking and Sam couldn't be more proud of Nate.

"And this is Livy. Livy, say hello to Grandma." Sam wrapped an arm around Quinn, supporting her silently. Mary was enchanted by the toddler instantly, but looked a bit disappointed when Livy shied away from her touch and buried her head on the crook of Quinn's neck.

"Sorry, she's always a bit shy around new people, but it wouldn't last long…" Quinn found herself saying before she could stop herself. But the awkward silence she expected didn't come. Instead, Mary smiled warmly at her and said, "Is that so… You look good, Quinn."

"…You look good as well."

"I'm glad all of you can come," she continued as she squeezed Quinn's arm. Quinn stared at her and returned the smile with a timid one. After years of rejection, Quinn almost felt that it was too good to be true. But Sam's mom looked so sincere, so willing to start anew, that Quinn wanted to welcome her with open arms.

Yet it was too soon to feel relieved, because when Sam asked "Where's dad?" and her smile faltered, Quinn knew that what she feared might not be too far from the truth.

* * *

The dinner only proved her fear.

Mary was the liveliest of the bunch, trying hard to warm the atmosphere. Sam had small talks with his dad, and Dwight was talking to Nate as well, seemingly began to grow fond of his grandson. Only Quinn was invisible to him. Quinn of course knew better than to speak up unless spoken to, but despite Sam's best effort to involve Quinn in the conversation, his dad just went silent or changed the subject.

Quinn didn't say anything about it when they went to bed, partly because she didn't want their children to hear it. The other reason was Sam didn't seem like he was ready to give up just yet. "It's gonna get better," he kissed Quinn shortly after Nate and Livy fell asleep cuddled to each other next to her. They all still have two more days in this place and Sam swore that they would come home as one family, not two.

What could she do but nod and kept her frustration to herself?

* * *

The next day, Nate begged his parents animatedly when Mary pointed out that there was a strawberry field on the hill behind the villa. Nate was rushing ahead with Sam in tow. Not far from them, Quinn held Livy's hands as she was suddenly in the mood to walk and refused to be carried although her wobbly toddler legs had yet to allow her to walk on her own. A few steps behind, the elderly couple followed.

Quinn could almost feel the scrutinizing eyes of her dad-in-law, watching her every move and probably looking for an excuse to— she stopped her train of thought. No, she wouldn't go that way. She had to stay away from that kind of prejudice. Sam wanted _them _to work and Quinn would do anything to fulfill her husband's wish.

"Careful, Livy…" The toddler nearly stumbled and would fall over if Quinn wasn't quick to pick her up in her arms.

"Look, Livy!" The big brother returned with a huge grin with a handful of strawberries. "Strawberries!"

Livy's eyes sparkled and one of her hands reached out to Nate, who quickly handed her a piece while teaching her the name of the fruit. "Strawberry! Straw-berry!"

Squeezing the fruit with her tiny hands, she blinked at Nate then showed the strawberry to Quinn. "Mommy, sawbubbieee…"

"Yes, strawberry, Livy…" Quinn corrected and Sam's mom chuckled.

"You can eat them right away," Mary said as she plucked one for herself and began to eat it. Nate saw it and hurried to eat one, squealing at the sweet and sour taste. He then took the basket filled with strawberries from his dad's hand and rushed over to his grandma to offer her some more. He also offered his grandpa, who looked a bit surprised but took it with a 'thank you'.

"Nate, sawbubbieee…" Livy whined. Knowing that she wanted more strawberries, Nate filled the toddler's hands with the fruit. But apparently she didn't want it for herself— she called out her mom, dad and brother and feed each of them a piece.

"Can Grandma have one too?" Sam's mom raised her open palm, but Livy just blinked at Quinn.

"Livy, give your Grandma a strawberry…" Quinn encouraged her, and finally the toddler bashfully handed a piece to her. She took it with her mouth and beamed, "Thank you, Livy."

After that, Livy warmed up to her pretty quickly. She even allowed her to carry her and made her look like the happiest grandma on earth. When she was introducing her stiff husband to the toddler, Sam wrapped an arm around Quinn's waist and whispered, "Our kids are miracles."

Quinn hummed in the comfort, feeling the warmth of the sun and of her husband pressed to his side. "They love the kids."

"My mom loves you too now. And my dad will. Soon. Like in the count of ten. Maybe less."

The blonde girl chuckled and Sam was almost blinded by the beautiful view in front of him. The sound was music to his ears and Quinn looked the best when she smiled. Before he could stop himself, Sam leaned closer and kissed his wife square on the lips…

…bringing the happy morning to an end.

The soft thud and rustling sound told them something had fallen before they broke the kiss in confusion. The strawberries Sam had gathered in the basket were now all over the grass. His dad had dropped it when he saw the kiss. The look on the elderly man's face was unreadable, but there was not a hint of approval in it. He turned around and walked away without a word.

* * *

**Uh-oh! What will happen next? To find out, wait for the next part that will be updated really really soon ;)**

**Thank you for sticking around with this story. Keep the reviews coming, tell me whether you like it or hate it, and I'll update this faster ;)**

**PS: I'm working on the 6th chapter of Date in Paradise and I also starting to work on the sequel of The First Day. I don't know which one that will be posted first but you gotta see it really soon!**


	10. Meet the Grandparents: part 2

**A/N: To celebrate the end of my 6th semester and the start of my only-a-week-summer-holiday, I'm posting an update today. Read away! Enjoy :)**

* * *

"Are we going anywhere?"

"You and the kids can stay. I'm going home."

"If you're going home, then the whole family goes. My family is a band of four, remember?"

Quinn stopped folding her clothes and rubbed her temple. "Please, Sam."

"No, please, Quinn."

"Enough!" The blonde girl raised her arms. "Listen, I'm glad that they love the kids, I swear I am. I'm glad that you get to reunite with your parents. And if I can't be a part of that, so be it! Sure, I can lend you and the kids to them in some weekends so you guys can bond further. Everyone's happy. No problem at all! Now, can you stop holding me back?"

"I can't be happy if you're not in the picture, you know that. Quinn, please, we can try again—."

"We tried! It didn't fucking work!" Unable to hold back anymore, Quinn burst out in tears. "How could you not see that it will never work!? We've been trying to make it work for more than ten years and I'm fucking tired of it!" The girl's eyes began to moisten and her face was red. "I'm sorry, but you just have to come in terms with the fact that in your dad's eyes, your family is a band of three!"

Sam pulled Quinn into his embrace and hugged her tightly, unrelenting to Quinn's struggle to free herself. He knew it, of course he knew how frustrated Quinn was. Sam couldn't even imagine how he would feel if Frannie and Kurt treated him like that. Perhaps he was too selfish and greedy. He was happy and he wanted more… and he had hurt Quinn.

After a while, the resistance faded and Quinn just leaned to Sam, looking for support in more ways than one. They stayed like that for quite some time until Sam whispered, "Let's take a walk outside. Get some fresh air. Just the two of us. Afterwards, if you still wanna go home, we will all go home. Okay?"

Quinn nodded slowly. Sam wiped her tear-streaked cheeks and pecked her lips before holding her hand as he led them both downstairs.

"Honey…" Mary was waiting by the foot of the stairs.

"We're just gonna take a stroll. Can you take care of the kids for a bit? They need to have lunch… Also please put Livy inside her playpen so she wouldn't crawl around too far." Sam smiled at his mom who just looked at Quinn in concern. The blonde girl was hanging her head low, holding close to Sam, but the swollen eyes were still visible from between her fallen strait of hair.

"I'm sorry, Quinn—," Mary said but Quinn shook her head although she still didn't look up.

"It's not your fault."

"But—."

"I appreciate it." She really did. She was even beginning to like Mary. Too bad things hadn't worked out so far. "Thank you," Quinn continued and then Sam just took her outside, leaving the elderly woman to take care of her husband and the kids.

* * *

"Come on, Nate, your dad said you have to eat your lunch…"

The boy shook his head sadly. "Where are my Mommy and Daddy? Are they fighting?"

"No, no, don't worry. They need some time alone, okay? Soon, they will be back."

"…I'm gonna wait for them outside," Nate dashed off without giving her a chance to prevent him.

She sighed and turned to her husband, who was sitting on the armchair nestled in the corner of the living room. The unreadable expression on his face remained and for once she was tempted to shake him and tell him to just _stop _being so stubborn, intolerant and always in dire need to control. She didn't want to lose her son and she definitely didn't want to lose the small family Sam had formed.

But in the end all she said was, "Watch over Livy for a while, will you?" She would wait until Sam and Quinn return.

Dwight said nothing but he did watch over the toddler's every movement. For a while it seemed Livy was busy playing with the colorful rubber blocks scattered in front of her, but then she got bored and began to crawl around, eyes scanning the room for anything that might interest her. Her eyes fell onto her grandpa and flashed her a toothy grin.

Staring attentively at Livy for the first time, Dwight was stunned by how much she looked like her parents, especially her mom, and in turn with a faint but noticeable hint of his own features on the toddler. He remembered Sam when he was a child as if it was yesterday, his chest brimming with delight and love. He remembered Sam growing up and making him proud each day.

Then he remembered the first day Sam brought Quinn home and introduced her as his lover.

A wail tore him out from the lane of memories. He was surprised to see Livy's face scrunched in pain as the toddler screamed and cried. Apparently she was attempting to climb out of the playpen but stumbled back inside in the process. "Hey, hey, it's okay…" Dwight helped Livy to sit up and rubbed the area around the bump on the back of her head. "Don't cry, baby girl… Grandpa's here…"

Surprisingly, the crying died down almost immediately. Livy looked up to him with glazed eyes and reached out. "Grappa…"

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy!" Nate ran to her and hugged her leg tightly. "Where were you!? Why did you leave me? Are you okay? Did you have a fight with Daddy? Did Daddy do something bad?"

"Hey!" Sam pouted. "Why am I always at fault?"

Quinn ruffled her son's hair. "No, we didn't fight. I just wasn't feeling well, but I'm all better now."

"Really?" Nate stared at his mom's face. True enough, his mom looked way better than earlier when she ran into the bedroom, followed by his dad. In fact, his mom was smiling now. He felt relieved and beamed, now eager to tell the good thing that happened when his parents were away. "Mommy, Livy's got a surprise for you and Daddy."

"Eh? What is it?"

"Come!" Nate dragged his parents into the living room. What they saw was a very lovely scene.

Livy was standing on her own, taking small steps towards her grandma while she squealed, "Gramma!"

The grandma caught her gleefully, eyes wet and overwhelmed with her granddaughter's innocent affection. But the toddler wasn't done with her tiny feet. She now turned to her grandpa and called out, "Grappa! Grappa!"

Quinn and Sam watched in amazement as the grandpa caught the charging Livy and smiled widely before looking up at the two. "Look Livy," he pointed at Quinn and Sam. "Mommy and Daddy are here."

Now it was their turn to be the destination of Livy's big adventure. Quinn squatted down and caught Livy right on time, just when the toddler's unsteady feet failed her. "Smart girl. Who's the smart girl? Livy's a smart girl…" Quinn hugged her tightly and kissed her all over her face. Sam whined and Quinn handed their daughter over to him, rolling her eyes at the childish plea to get his turn to smother Livy.

"You have wonderful kids."

A voice startled her. Sam's dad was standing right next to her and Quinn slowly stood up. She didn't know where did she find her courage, but she was feeling better after that walk with Sam and had convinced her husband that she didn't want to return home yet. She now had a newfound resolution, sharing Sam's wish to reunite with the elderly Evans. "They're your grandchildren."

They stared at each other for a while. Then Dwight spoke with a tone Mary hadn't heard for a long time. A gentle tone he used to his beloved son a long time ago. "Is it too late to be their grandpa?"

"Well… Livy had called you 'Grappa' already," Quinn said softly.

"How about you?" he asked slowly, as if scared of rejection. After all, Quinn had all the right to do so. "Can you forgive me?"

There were no words that could describe Quinn's feelings. She was relieved, thankful, elated and thoroughly lenient. There was no hint of remorse in her, and she surprised even himself. Speechless and believing that there were no further words needed anyway, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her dad-in-law.

Dwight was stunned as well, didn't expect such easy and quick acceptance. He didn't deserve it, with how he had been treating Quinn until just an hour ago. He didn't deserve it, after years of rejection and unjust judgment towards the girl who had given his son so much happiness and had presented Dwight with two endearing angels.

Yet here he was, hugging her and telling her silently that none of that mattered anymore. They were a family if Dwight wanted to, and Dwight now wanted nothing else. He swore would make it up to them. His hands slowly returned the hug as he whispered, "Thank you."

* * *

**A sweet ending after all the drama isn't it? Well, I have a bad news for you. I'm putting this story on hold. From now, I'll focused on Date in Paradise and the sequel of The First Day (and if you lucky, When You Love Someone). But keep your eyes on. I might update this anytime ;)**

**Thank you for sticking around with this story. Though I put this on hold, I still would love to know what do you think of it, whether you love it or hate it. So, keep the reviews coming! :)**


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